


Reading Between the Lines

by Rebel_Leader05



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Business Owner Rey, F/M, More tags later, Possible Eventual Smut, Rey Needs A Hug, Reylo - Freeform, You've Got Mail inspired, the year is 1998
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 02:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16823308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rebel_Leader05/pseuds/Rebel_Leader05
Summary: It's 1998 and the children's bookshop Kanata's Corner is thriving under the ownership of twenty-four year old Rey Kenobi, who inherited the place from her guardian after her death one year ago.Kylo Ren has just been promoted to head of the new large bookstore chain First Order Books. Snoke Enterprises buys the property right across the street from Kanata's Corner, and the owner of the small business proves difficult for business.By day they may hate each other, but by night they are each other's pen pals, and they find themselves unknowingly falling in love with each other.--The You've Got Mail inspired AU no one asked for.





	Reading Between the Lines

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Welcome to my little brain child! Just a few quick notes: 
> 
> -This takes place in 1998, in the prime of AOL and e-mail was considered high-tech communication. 
> 
> -Rey and Kylo are both twenty-four in this fic. It just makes sense for them to have the same ages for the sake of the movie. 
> 
> -This is heavily inspired by the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie You've Got Mail. I watched it for the first time in a while and thought it would make a great Reylo fic! 
> 
> -There might be smut later on, but it is going to be a slow burn. 
> 
> That should be it for now! Please let me know what you think!

Chapter One

Why did mornings always have to come so damn fast?

Rey Kenobi wanted nothing more than to lower the white lace curtains over her window and throw her covers back over her head. She had pulled a fourteen-hour shift at the bookstore yesterday and wasn’t eager to do the same thing today, but she had people counting on her for the business. Finn and Rose depended upon Kanata’s Corner for their income and today was Saturday, which meant that Storybook Lady would be giving her two readings. Everyone knew that Rey was Storybook Lady, but she had heard countless parents tell her she was their children’s favorite part of the day. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t bear to disappoint the kids who came from all over Takodana to hear the story of the day. Which meant that it was time to face the day.

After the daily ritual of the bathroom and making her requisite cup of coffee from the Keurig, the young woman checked the time and bit back a smile when she realized that she could spare five minutes to check her inbox. Hopefully **solo_dude66** had responded to the late missive she’d penned after _finally_ closing up shop last night. She tried preparing herself for disappointment as she powered up the laptop and logged in to her AOL account, but her heart skipped a beat when she heard the robotic female voice chime, “You’ve got mail.”

Rey knew she was grinning like some love-crazed fool, but she couldn’t help it as she eagerly double clicked the _Open_ icon. She settled herself in to read, the grin never leaving her face.

_DesertFlower01,_

_Both of us had very long nights from the sound of it, though I was mostly stuck in meetings. It would be nice to have a normal Friday night and do normal Friday night things. Alas, such is the life of the workaholic, am I right? At least I have these emails to look forward to. If it’s any consolation, we both spent the same amount of time at our respective jobs._

_Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be someone else. Even if it was just for a day, I wonder what it would be like to do something completely different from what I do now. Trade my responsibilities for someone else’s. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but sometimes it can get…overwhelming. Do you feel the same way?_

_At least today is Saturday, which means a blessed day off. I hope your Saturday finds you well and that you get to relax just a bit. I look forward to hearing about your day._

_-solo_dude66_

Rey looked at her wall clock one more time, the grin finally leaving her face when she saw that she only had thirty minutes until she had to open Kanata’s Corner. A reply would have to wait.

After dressing in a red long-sleeved dress, black leggings, and her favorite pair of black boots, Rey locked up the apartment and began the familiar trek to Kanata’s Corner, thinking about **solo_dude66** all the way.

The sights of Takodana never failed to amaze her. There was a big city hustle and bustle, even on a Saturday, but it was quaint and familiar enough that everyone seemed to know each other. The owner of the flower shop on the corner of the street where she lived smiled to her and said, “Good morning, Rey!” as she passed, and even the owner of the coffee shop she passed every morning, Ahsoka Tano, stepped outside to pass over the vanilla latte she always made for Rey.

“In memory of your dear mother,” Ahsoka said the first time she gave her the latte for free. Rey had balked at first, but Ahsoka insisted and even now, a year after Maz’s death, she always made sure to have Rey’s favorite drink ready for her whenever she was on her way to work.

It was a far cry from the desert sands of Jakku, the miserable desert town in Arizona where she’d spent the first eight years of her life.

Five minutes later, her latte already a third of the way finished, Rey rounded the corner on Nymeve Street and the fading light blue paint of Kanata’s Corner loomed into view. Rey smiled when she saw her friend Rose sitting on the bench outside waiting for her. She had one of her college textbooks open on the seat beside her and was scribbling furiously in a notebook on her lap.

“You can’t be working on homework on a Saturday,” Rey said by way of greeting as she fished her keys out of her purse.

“I can when I’ve got a paper due first thing on Monday and my slave driver of a boss has me working all weekend,” Rose quipped back. The two friends smiled at each other and entered the shop.

The place still looked and smelled the same since the first time Rey had stepped inside. She had been a scared eight-year-old, unsure of everything that Takodana had to offer, and bringing her to the shop had been Maz’s way of reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. The older woman had simply smiled to herself and grabbed a picture book off the shelf and started reading out loud, as though it was the most normal thing in the world. Rey couldn’t remember anyone reading to her before and had been enraptured. Thus, a love of books had been born.

After finishing the opening procedures and powering on the old computer that both Maz and Rey had refused to replace, the door creaked open and Finn arrived. As usual, he was out of breath from running the last few blocks to make it to the shop on time. Rey always wondered why he didn’t just make a few adjustments to his morning routine so he didn’t stress himself out so much, but figured it was his life. She didn’t feel the need to intervene as long as he managed to make it for his shift on time. He hadn’t failed so far.

“Hey Finn!” Rose greeted her friend and co-worker with the same level of enthusiasm she seemed to have for everyone. She never seemed to lose any of her optimistic energy, even when dealing with grumpy patrons or schoolwork. Rey envied her that quality. Sometimes she worried if her time in Jakku had broken that part of her.

“Hey Rose,” he replied as he hung his tan jacket on the coat rack by the door. “Hey Rey.”

Rey nodded in reply, too busy stacking a new shipment of books on the shelves to talk. She sensed her two friends and employees were sharing a knowing look behind her back but she chose to ignore it. She knew perfectly well that they thought she sometimes overworked herself in an effort to keep the shop running as efficiently as Maz had. She was the one responsible for bringing the three of them together, and because of that, even though they were all the same age, Rey felt as though she needed to prove something to them.

A knock at the door interrupted the stiff silence that hung in the air, and when Rey turned to look she saw that two of her usuals, Jessika and Wexley, were waiting along with their two daughters. The twin girls smiled and waved, and Rey waved back as she said, “Finn, can you open up?”

“Sure. Time for another day of action.” And with the turn of the knob, another busy day started at Kanata’s Corner.

* * *

“Is there a reason we’re having this discussion at nine a.m. on a Saturday? I thought we weren't meeting until Monday.”

As Kylo Ren took his seat in the boardroom of the corporate office right in the heart of Takodana, he could sense the cold, steely stare of Alastor Snoke, the infamous business man and, if the rumors were to be believed, mob boss. As always, Kylo was the last of the board members to arrive, though he wondered for how much longer Snoke was going to allow that. He had no room for those he didn’t feel were one hundred percent committed to the job.

“Ah, Kylo Ren. Arrived at last,” Snoke declared, gesturing to the seat to his right with a grand wave of his hand. Kylo swallowed back his irritation but took his seat.

Once he took his seat, he and the other board members turned their attention to Snoke, who didn’t seem in any hurry to speed the meeting along.

“To answer Mr. Ren’s question,” he drawled, rising to his feet and puffing out his chest importantly, “we are meeting at nine a.m. on a Saturday because of this.”

He clicked a small button in his hand that Kylo had somehow missed and the projector that hung from the ceiling buzzed to life. On the wall directly behind the leather chair Snoke had just vacated appeared the logo of the business mogul’s latest project: First Order Books. A black and red book that was open with the cover facing the observer and the words _First Order_ on the front and _Books_ on the back. It was definitely eye catching, but Kylo didn’t understand. Since when did business mogul and alleged mob boss care about opening up a bookstore?

Clearly he wasn’t the only one taken aback by this latest development. Several of his fellow board members were giving each other confused looks and murmured whispers soon followed. Kylo Ren knew how much his boss loathed anyone questioning his decisions, so he remained quiet. This, however, seemed to be the wrong thing to do, because when he looked at Snoke he was surprised to see satisfaction all but flowing off of him at the murmurs and whispers he had generated.

“I see some of you are unsure about this,” he chuckled as he clicked the button again. The logo disappeared from the wall, followed by blueprints of what appeared to be a massive building. There must be at least four stories by the looks of it. Kylo Ren found himself intrigued. He’d never been much of a reader. Between all of his schooling and studying there had never been much time for it. But as he listened to Snoke’s speech he had to admit that there might be a need for it in this part of the country.

“Takodana is prime real estate right now,” Snoke began. “The city has been here for years, but it is just starting to develop and come into its own. More people are flocking to it for the big city feel but the small town luxuries. The economy is booming and real estate is flourishing. There are plenty of restaurants, retail outlets, pubs, coffee shops, but what is there not enough of?”

The answer to this question hung in the air, but it was unclear if the question was meant to be rhetorical or not. Kylo Ren waited and watched the older man, who seemed to savor the attention he had and the power he yielded over them all.

“Books. To be more specific, a place to go and unwind after work for those who aren’t big on drinking or large crowds. There are colleges and universities in the area, but no place to conduct their studies. And of course, to buy books. People like to read, but the price of books can turn people off to buying them. We did some research and found there are two places one can go in Takodana to buy books. The Bookend, which focuses primarily on used or out-of-print books, and a small hole-in-the-wall place called Kanata’s Corner, which sells overpriced children’s books. Nowhere that people like you and I can go to buy the latest bestseller. Soon that will all change, my friends. This time next year we will have several First Order Books around the country, all with discounted books in all subjects and coffee bars where patrons can go to get quality coffee at a fraction of a café’s price. It will be convenience such as this quaint little town has never known. And we will be at the helm of it all.”

Snoke smirked and stared at the room, almost daring one of them to question anything he had just said. Silence followed Snoke’s speech. Kylo waited for someone to say or do something, but it was as though they sat in a room of statues.

Kylo raised his hand, and like a shark sniffing out blood, Snoke’s gaze snapped to his. “Yes?”

“What’s the timetable on this? Do you think we could be operational by Christmas?”

Snoke’s smirk widened, and he made the room await his answer as he stalked slowly back to his seat. “I can do you one better,” he said at last. “If everything stays on schedule, we can open our doors on Black Friday. If this market is as much of a goldmine as the research suggests, your grandchildren will be getting Christmas bonuses.”

That garnered a few laughs. For the next two hours they went over every detail, seeking out the best location for their first store, who would be the one to run it. Kylo knew he couldn’t be the only one who had doubts about getting the thing on track and open in just six months. They hadn’t even bought the land yet. He figured either Snoke was delusional or he was keeping something from them.

It was nearly noon by the time Snoke finally dismissed them. “See you all bright and early Monday morning.” _Or else_ seemed to hang in the air around them.

Kylo was about to take his exit when Snoke’s voice sounded once more. “Kylo, a minute.”

The two men waited until the room emptied out, then Snoke stood up. Kylo expected him to pace around the room as he’d done for most of speech but instead he took a seat on the table right in front of him.

“I’ve known you for quite a while now, Kylo,” he began quietly. “Long enough to know that I can trust you. I _can_ trust you, can’t I?”

“Yes, sir,” Kylo replied immediately, hoping he didn’t sound too eager.

“Good. Because I want you to run First Order Books. You’ll be the go-to guy. The man in charge. You’ll oversee day-to-day operations, handle marketing, line up author signings, et cetera.” He waved a hand and paused to stare into Kylo’s dark eyes. “But that also means you’ll be responsible, good or bad. Should the worst happen and we go under, the fault will fall on you. Do you think you can handle that?”

“Yes,” Kylo said at once. “I won’t let you down, sir. I’m ready.”

“Good.” Snoke patted him on the shoulder and stood back up. “Be here at seven Monday morning. We’re going to have a lot to discuss.”

* * *

Later that night, after spending most of his Saturday second-guessing his decision to accept the job Snoke offered him, he finally made his way home. His evenings were the only part of his day that he truly relished. After entering his dark apartment and turning on the lights, he fed the goldfish in the living room, made himself a bowl of cereal for dinner, then powered on his laptop.

He logged in to his e-mail account and hoped he would hear the three words that would help him forget the stress of the day: “You’ve got mail.” What did it say about him that he was head over heels for someone he had never even met? **DesertFlower01** could relate to him in a way that no one else could. She understood him and never tried to soothe his worries by offering pointless platitudes like everyone else in his life. She (he sincerely hoped this person was a she, especially with the user name **DesertFlower01** ) simply offered up her opinion or advice when he asked for it, and when he didn’t she talked about her own life. And Kylo Ren found that he never grew tired of hearing what she had to say. She was unlike anyone he’d ever met, even though they only knew each other through cyberspace.

Sure enough, when he logged on he heard that lovely robotic female voice tell him that he did indeed have mail. He opened the new message and began reading.

_Dearest solo_dude66,_

_I hope that didn’t across too strong, using the word dearest when writing to you, especially since we don’t know each other’s real names, but it makes me feel like I’m talking to a friend. Maybe that makes me sound weird and needy, but it’s better than putting this into the endless void with no hope of anyone reading it. I don’t think that even made sense. Anyway, moving on._

_Today was another busy day. I don’t think I’ve been anywhere other than work and home for the past week. Business seems to be booming, which is great, but lately it seems to have taken over my life. I don’t know when I got to be such a workaholic, but it’s not really something I ever thought I would become. But if I didn’t keep doing it, who would? I love what I do, but sometimes…honestly, this is hard to admit, even to someone I’ve never even met, but sometimes I want a break. I want a chance to live someone else’s life, even if only for a day. You know those movies where someone says that and the next thing they know they’re in someone else’s body? Sometimes I wish that was me._

_If I haven’t scared you away yet, that just might._

_Sorry. You don’t really need to hear this. This is probably just my way of saying the past couple of days have been rough. My letter tomorrow will be more positive. I’m taking a day off, so who knows? Maybe I’ll treat myself to a movie or something. Put myself in someone else’s shoes for a couple hours. Haha._

_Anyway. Talk to you tomorrow._ _J_

_-DesertFlower01_

Kylo smiled. He wasn’t scared away. If anything, he was even more enamored. How was it that she could write exactly how he was feeling so accurately?

He finished his Cheerio’s then rubbed his hands together. He had so much that he wanted to tell her. He began typing.


End file.
